It Came with a Price
by ShadowedFang
Summary: Everything has a price, power just has a higher price than most.
1. Longing

** It came with a Price**

As a billionaire and successful business man I am well aware that all things come with a price. Most anything can be bought with a sufficient amount of money, except love, and perhaps the Packers. I was so very certain that I had already paid the price for my powers, that after the debilitating eco-acne receded that I would not have to deal with further repercussions from the abilities inflicted upon me. How ironic, that the very thing that mankind has spent centuries searching for vainly has been thrust upon me, utterly unwanted. How fitting, that I should only realize it now, far too late to prevent the repercussions of this revelation.

Immortality. Viewed in folklore and legend as both desirable and a curse. It is the nature of humanity to grow and change. It is the nature of spirits to remain static until forced to adapt to survive. When they are forced together, human and spirit, you are left with a being that constantly grows in power, but is incapable of aging and dying.

The results of my research are spread before me. It is undeniable. It has been twenty-three years since my accident, and in the last thirteen I have not aged. The red glare that pervades the lab seems accusing. Why did I not notice this sooner? I have spent much of the time since acquiring my powers learning my limits and abilities. Countless tests and immaculate records have insured that I know most everything about mine and Daniel's unique condition. Ah, Daniel my boy, what am I going to tell you? Should I tell you? Will you resent me even more for not warning you? Or will you hate me further for being the bearer of bad news? You are so very attached to your family and friends. It will be your destruction one of these days.

They will wither and die while you and I remain untouched by the test of Time. What will you do when you realize that you will be unable to keep Miss Manson as I am unable to keep my beloved Maddie? They will leave you, whether of their own volition or not, and you shall be as alone as I.

It is a bittersweet revelation; all I have to do to get what I want is to wait. It may be a far longer wait than I was anticipating, but still. Like me, you cannot stand to be alone. I have been alone for the last twenty years due to my powers. If I could change that I would. Humans sense what we are, on some carnal level, and shy away. It's always there, that subtle fear in their eyes, that knowledge that something isn't quite _right._

You've seen it too haven't you boy? The way they shiver when you've been pushed to the edge, the way they push you out of the group in a vain attempt to protect themselves. Your peers will never accept you, humanity at large will hunt you, and the government will try to destroy you. Why is it that you cannot accept that I am the only one who can understand what you are and accept you utterly and completely?

I sigh deeply and reach for the phone, "Jack, It's Vlad, I'll be dropping by for a visit soon, there is news that I must share with Daniel."

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**My first fic, just a little insight into Vlad's mind. Just so you know this isn't typical writing for me. This may or may not become background for the multi-chapter fic I'm in the planning stages for.**


	2. Fighting

The fruitloop called earlier today. I wonder what he wants, usually he makes it a point to drop in unannounced and set himself up in the living room like he owns the place. Dad, as always, is happily oblivious, but at least I can count on Mom and Jazz to help me push him out the door. He's got to be planning something, I know it. He never does anything without a reason.

The stars glitter faintly above in the cold night air and the half-moon hangs just above the horizon. It's a cloudless night and the city below me is spread out across the land to echo the stars. Dang, I must be a lot more tired than I thought if I'm starting to sound poetic. Ugh, day in, day out, recently I've been doing nothing but fighting. At least things seem to be quiet, if I'm lucky I'll get a few hours of sleep tonight. That is, if I get the fruitloop out the door.

A glance at the stars reveals the time, eight o'clock. The fruitloop said that he'd be at Fenton Works at nine thirty. I drop down and begin to head home, I really don't want to deal with Vlad at the moment. It's bad enough that he makes it a point to start a fight at least once a week, one that I always end up losing.

The quiet of the suburban neighborhood is broken by a blast of emerald power that throws me into a car. The alarm promptly begins to shriek, causing the lights in the house to flick on. The follow up blast just barely misses as I flip back up into the air.

"Whelp."

"Skulker, do we have to do this now? I'm really not in the mood."

That prompted a grin from the metal hunter. "The hunt is determined by the moods of the hunter, not the prey whelp, I thought you knew that by now."

He expected a response, but as tired as I am I'm not going to bother. If I don't end this quickly it won't end well. My ectoblast clipped his right shoulder and made his next shot go wide and shatter the window of the house next to us. Great, I'm only three blocks from my house, if they decide to call my parents it won't take them long to get here. Skulker fires off a volley of rockets and I pick them off with plenty of time to spare. The tranquilizer dart whizzes through the smoke and lodges in my upper arm. I growl and rip it out.

"What was that supposed to do Skulker? You know those don't work anymore."

His grin is smug as the smoke clears and vertigo along with a creeping cold running up my arm cause me to drop to the ground.

"You may have become immune to my usual stock, but I made that just for you."

I struggle to remain standing as he drops to the ground and stalks towards me. I lost the fight to remain balanced and he leaned over me to gloat. Big mistake. The drug running through my system cut off rational thought and I snarled violently before blasting him. That one good hit shattered Skulker's suit. I felt a vague fuzzy sense of satisfaction as that registered. The last things I heard before I blacked out were a loud engine and the beginning of a violent argument.

* * *

I fight my way back to consciousness to be greeted by the harsh chemical smells of disinfectant and ectoplasm with a warm undertone of chocolate fudge. The pain spiking through my head caused me to groan before I could stop myself.

"Oh good! Your awake!"

My dad's manic grin seems rather out of place considering the circumstances. The manacles around my wrists and ankles are rather sharp and uncomfortable. I tug experimentally, and while they creak, there's no sign of any give. My mom looks up reprovingly from where she's laying out surgical instruments on a tray.

"Now, now, none of that. You wouldn't want us to start hurting you before we have to now would you?"

I panic; this is the worst thing that could happen. I never wanted my secret to get revealed this way. I can't phase through the table, and if I wait any longer they're going to start vivisecting me. I reach for the warm, heavy feeling that is always inside my mind. I try to change back. It's not there. Scratch that last thought, THIS is the worst thing that could happen. Mom finishes examining her tools and brings them over to the table next to me. I should have let Skulker catch me, at least he would have the decency to kill me before cutting me open.

* * *

**Well, this took an unexpected turn. Somehow something I wrote planned to get put into this. I don't know how, but this chapter refused to get written until I connected the two. Sorry for the false start, it's here to stay this time.**


	3. Defending

**Just a note to my readers since it was pointed out in a review, this story is not, nor will it ever be slash. I don't own Danny Phantom, though I gladly admit to creating this twisted set of circumstances. **

* * *

It is utterly silent when I emerge from the lab where I have spent the last several hours trying to disprove my findings. Night has fallen, but my eyes are sharper than any human's and the gloom does not bother me. If anything I find it rather soothing. I wander to the front window and look out at the sky. It's a cloudless night with the half-moon slowly rising into the sky. It is a perfect night for flying. I sigh deeply. Daniel should be on patrol about this time, and if I run into him and we get into one of our usual spats nothing will get done. To be honest I don't really want to move. Daniel will most certainly not take this news well. If anything, he will probably be even more disturbed than I was.

Maddie meows softly and jumps on the windowsill to rub her head under my hand. I smile softly and stroke her back. He will find out in the end, no matter what I do. It is better for him to find out from me rather than thirty years from now when he realizes that he hasn't aged normally. There really isn't any point to delaying further, especially when I've already made my decision. I learned a long time ago to quit wasting my time with 'but' and 'if only', it is what it is, and since there isn't much I can do about the situation I'm not going to worry about it.

Nothing will get done with me just standing here. The clock on the wall reads eight forty three, if I leave now I should arrive at Fenton Works fifteen minutes early. That will give me enough time to separate Daniel from his parents and fabricate a reasonable lie to explain my presence. Maddie's reproving mew as I turn away prompts a smile. As much as it shames me to admit it Daniel's suggestion to get a cat was actually a good one. If he finds out about her however, I'll never hear the end of it.

Intangibly dropping through three floors I end up in the underground parking area. Though I have considerably fewer vehicles here than in my Wisconsin mansion, many of my favorites and more recent acquisitions are here. Speaking of which, the car I was intending to use for this trip was fairly close to the front. A white Toyota FT-HS, it may not be the most expensive car here, but it has that elegance that I require of my vehicles. The fact that it can go from zero to sixty in four seconds doesn't hurt either. The last time I used it to make a 'surprise' visit I caught Daniel staring at it enviously, though he later denied doing any such thing. I might get him one in a couple years, assuming he doesn't ruin too many vehicles in the meantime.

* * *

That's odd. The glowing green dome of the Fenton's ghost shield is clearly visibly on the sky line. Typically they only have it up during large scale ghost invasions due to the large amount of energy it takes up. Why in the realms would they have it up at this time of night? Something isn't right about this.

My train of thought is interrupted by my cellphone going off. "Skulker, there had better be a good reason for this, and what happened to your voice modulator?"

"Plasmius! It's about the whelp."

"What about him?"

"He was captured by his parents."

"How much damage control am I going to end up doing?"

"You don't understand! I was trying to catch him and drugged him, and he won't be able to turn back to human form for about two days."

A mixture of fury and panic instantly shoots through me, without being able to turn human they will actually carry through on their threats to rip him apart. My voice is deadly calm when I respond. "I consider this a violation of our agreement Skulker, meet me in Wisconsin with a sample of whatever you used on Daniel, and I might consider letting you continue to exist." The cell phone is crushed in my fist as my grip tightens. Disgusted, I throw the remains down in the floorboard and floor the accelerator. Invective fails me and I snarl savagely, even as fast as this car is I can't be there in less than ten minutes, Daniel could very well be dead by then.

NO! I will not allow it! An ancient, twisted tree catches my attention. Not letting go of the accelerator in the slightest I swerve off the road, straight into it. Just before my messy end I morph into Plasmius and teleport to a point just above the Fenton Works ghost shield. I let go of my ghost form and drop the two stories down to land lightly on my feet. I am able to faintly hear sobbing coming from somewhere inside the house. Static crackles across my skin as I intangibly dash through the front door, the shield reacting to the powerful energy that flares about me even in human form.

I waste no time in the living room and run straight to the stairwell to the lab. The warm metallic scent of blood hits me at the top of the stairs, and I am able to hear the sobbing clearly. Jasmine is propped against the thick door to the lab. Thick streaks of red are smeared where she had been futilely beating on the door. Jack had boasted to me several visits ago that he had completely soundproofed the lab; there was no way that the elder Fentons had heard her.

"Move." I growl darkly. Jasmine looks up and immediately scrambles out of the way. Ectoplasmic flame flares around my clenched fists. The static from the ghost shield becomes painful as I channel my ghostly strength through my human form. The metal carries the distinctive sheen of a ghost-proof alloy, I won't be able to simply phase through. The metal gives a shriek of protest as I kick it the first time, but it stubbornly holds. The second time the hinges give way and the door skids down the rest of the stairs.

Bright fluorescent lights bring the nightmarish spectacle below into sharp relief. Viridian ectoplasm, banded silver and sparking with power, drips from the table they have Daniel bound to. An alarmingly wide pool of it spreads across the floor. The sharp whining of a bone saw is the first thing to catch my attention as I jump down the rest of the way into the lab. Jack stands above the dissection table wielding the instrument. I strike him down with crimson flames, throwing him against the wall and causing the instrument in his hand to shatter against the closed doors of the ghost portal. Maddie turns from where she had been shelving the samples she had taken and gapes at me in shock.

My next shot is directed against the shield generator that hums in the far corner of the room. My aim is true, and it shakes violently before exploding, which gives me just enough time to throw a shield of my own over it to prevent the blast from spreading and possibly injuring Daniel further. Maddie breaks through her surprise and lunges for a bazooka that lay against the wall. She only takes three strides towards it before I have her bound with ectoplasmic ropes.

All emotion was shoved to the back of my mind the moment I went into battle. With the shield gone I am finally able to shift into Plasmius once again. They will likely know everything by morning anyway, and every second I delay is another second Daniel's lifeblood drips down that accursed table. I ignore the timid footsteps behind me; Daniel is my only concern at the moment. "Daniel?" His eyes meet mine, the pupils completely dilated and glassy. His throat convulses as he tries to say something. "Hush, I'm here to get you out." All of his restraints snap open as soon as I touch the ones on his wrists. As gently as I can I gather him into my arms.

This, in addition to everything else is too much. Daniel succumbs to shock and fades out of his ghost form. Maddie's gasp echoes in the nearly silent lab. She saw. I have minutes to save Daniel's life, if that. I swipe my bloodied glove against the genetic lock on the ghost portal. As soon as the gap between the doors is wide enough I leap into the ghost zone and wrap magenta energy around us both in preparation to teleport. Hang on Daniel, just a little further.

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**Fang: Velya! You promised it wouldn't be to bloody! And you made it a cliffhanger! I swear, when I get ahold of you. *stalks off after errant muse***

**Velya: *is amused* No one looks up anymore. Oh, hello! Introductions, I am Velya the Dark. Fang refused to put me in any of her stories; something about me being too fond of violence and bloodshed, or some such nonsense. So therefore I took up residence in her head instead as her muse. If you wonderful readers would be so kind as to give me some rope in your reviews I'm certain I could **_**encourage**_** dear Fang to be a bit more prompt with her next update. Don't worry, I'll make sure all of your questions are answered in due time.**


	4. Reacting

**Velya: *pokes Fang* Oops. *looks up* Oh, uh, hi? Sorry people, Fang is still unconsious. I got a bit overenthusiastic. Turns out that if you tie someone upside down in a tree they eventually pass out. But look! A peace offering! Don't kill us!**

* * *

Jazz

I just stand here, with my hand on the button that released my little brother into the arms of his worst enemy. You're in shock; a small corner of my brain observes, but I can't move. The shudders that start at the base of my neck won't let me. The floor isn't stable, I would fall over. The normally dim lab is still lit by the harsh fluorescent lights that my parents turned on so that they could see clearly to experiment on Danny. A silverish mist forms over the spilt ectoplasm as the energy begins to separate from the matter.

Father is still slumped against the wall where Vlad threw him. The shadow of concern leads me over to where he lay. Shock makes everything seem muffled and not-there the same analytical corner of my mind observed again. I am very careful not to step in any of the ectoplasm that has dripped onto the floor of the lab, while at the same time I studiously ignore it. I bend over and take my father's pulse, the small bit of paper in my fist crinkling further as I do so. It's there, slow perhaps but steady.

As soon as I confirm that Vlad hadn't killed my father a sharp pressure starts to build just below my heart. Vague panic sets in. If I lose it down here I won't be in any shape to help anyone. Turning quickly I walk slowly and calmly out of the lab, not even turning to look at the sound of glass shattering as my mother kicks a table in the sudden struggle to get out of her bonds.

When did they become mother and father instead of Mom and Dad? The moment they decided to tear Danny apart that cynical little voice replied. The heavily dented and bloodied door is the last obstacle on my way out of the lab. My hands clench harder around the note my parents left while blood drips down my fists from my split knuckles. The tremors get worse the farther up the stairs I go.

The utter normality of the living room is surreal, untouched by the horror that resides in the lab. The pressure continues to build, a confused swirl of panic, rage, and denial. I'm not quite sure how I made it across the living room, but the phone is in my hand. After two years of ghost fighting and assorted situations that involved calling Sam and Tucker in the middle of the night I have their phone numbers practically memorized. I'm faintly surprised that I hit the numbers in the right order on the first try considering how badly the rest of me is shaking.

The phone only rings twice before Sam picks up on the other end. "Hello?"

"They got him Sam, they got him and they…" My voice comes out faint and wondering, breaking on the last word.

"Who got him? WHAT HAPPENED Jazz!" Somehow the steel and focused rage in her tone breaks through to me. Whatever happens now I don't have to be alone for this.

"Our parents caught him, I don't know how, but they did, and they…" My throat closes; I'm unable to even mention what happened. Shocked and enraged silence from the other end, I don't need to say what happened, what I can't say says enough.

"I'll grab Tucker and get over there. There had better be a good explanation for this." The last words were spoken in a low growl that sent shivers down my spine and somehow reminded me of Vlad's murderous expression as he came down the stairs. The dial tone indicates that she had hung up. I don't know what will happen when she gets here, what we'll do now that Vlad has Danny. What will Amity Park do without him? What will Tuck, Sam, and I do without him? At this point I'm not even sure if he's alive. I didn't know that humans were capable of making the sound that emerges from my throat. It sounds as if some tortured animal were trying to scream and roar at the same time.

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**Fang: *groans* Ow, I'm going to get her for that. Sorry people for the wait, between real life and a psychotic muse I had trouble writing, but you know what would make the process easier? Reveiws! Lots and lots of Reveiws! Or not, it's your choice, but they make me and my insane splinter personalities happy.**


	5. Saving

**Fortunately for the characters, I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Fang: Velya shall not be joining us this chapter, she is otherwise, ah... _occupied._ For my readers and lovely reveiwers, please enjoy.**

**(1) Crystalloid saline solution is simply regular saline mixed with nutrients and is actually used by doctors.**

* * *

When the energy from teleporting dissipated I was hovering in front of the football that disguises the entrance to my Wisconsin portal. Violently backhanding it aside I dart into my lab and lay Daniel down on my examination table. His complexion is alarmingly pale, even for his human form. Laying my hands on his chest I created a skin-tight shield over the wound in an attempt to prevent as much blood loss as I could. From a quick examination of the wound it appears that his body was regenerating as quickly as it could, forcing the Fentons to reopen the cuts repeatedly. What concerns me the most is the foreign white glowing substance that I can see on the edges of the cuts; most likely the Fentons engineered something to prevent healing so that they could finish vivisecting my little badger without having to worry about the wound closing on them in the middle of it. Fortunately I don't see any damage to his ribcage itself, I apparently interrupted Jack before he had a chance to use that bone saw that was in his hands.

A deep growl rumbles in my chest at the thought as I produced a duplicate to maintain my shield over Daniel and teleport to the cloning/stabilization chambers on the other end of the room. I initiate a quick warm-up and preparation sequence. Where the blast is Skulker? I need the sample of the drug he used on Daniel, at this point anything I try to do to help him could do more harm than good without knowing exactly how it would react to the chemicals already in his bloodstream.

A flash of alarm from my duplicate startles me as Daniel's heartbeat falters. I don't have the time to wait for Skulker to arrive; I have to do something NOW. I'll have to run the analysis from blood tests as I treat him. The duplicate brings Daniel over to the chambers and begins the process of getting him into one. I teleport over to the monitors I specifically designed to control the stabilization chambers and begin inputting commands while simultaneously setting up a battery of tests to determine what exactly those _humans_ did to my Daniel.

* * *

For a long time the only sounds in my private lab are keys tapping, the pneumatic hiss of pressure changes in the stabilization chamber that holds Daniel's near lifeless form, and the intermittent howling coming from my portal.

"Plasmius, I have the substance that you requested." Skulker's voice threatens to break my concentration on the flickering figures dancing across the screens in front of me.

"I needed you here hours ago Skulker." My voice is deceptively calm, silk over chilled steel, hiding the rage that has been burning in me since hearing of Daniel's condition. "Wait for me in my study; I shall come up when I am done here."

I can feel his shock at the curt dismissal in the energies surrounding him, confusion, uncertainty and just a touch of fear warring for dominance. Despite his reluctance he complies with my order and phases through the ceiling. I turn my full attention back to the complex chemical formula of whatever substance the Fentons used to prevent Daniel's healing. Unfortunately it appears that the chemical will not be flushed from Daniel's system for several weeks, and has the side-effect of weakening his immune system as well. On the brighter side of things, it is not unduly interfering with the regenerative compounds that I am using to speed Daniel's healing processes, though it is slowing down the rate at which they work.

It will be best to remove Daniel from the chamber now that his vitals have stabilized. While keeping him in there longer would speed his healing further he has been stressed nearly past his limit. It would be unwise to try to force things further than necessary. His body used up most of its reserves regenerating during the vivisection itself.

I sigh and set the monitor on standby. The headache that has been building for the last… I'm not sure how many hours makes itself violently known. This night has been taxing on even my reserves. Though it appears that it has been worth the effort in the end. Making good use of intangibility I phase Daniel through the glass and examine his progress firsthand. The beginnings of scar tissue where the wounds have mostly closed is fairly obvious, though there is still extensive bruising, making it fairly evident that my little badger is still far from fully healed. He will likely be in a great deal of pain when he wakes up. It is rather unfortunate that I will be unable to give him any pain medication until Skulker's drug completely wears off.

Rather than carrying him and taking the risk of reopening his wounds, I teleport us both to the room that I had one of my ghostly servants prepare shortly after we arrived. It is only after settling Daniel in the bed and hooking him up to an I.V. drip with Crystalloid saline solution(1) that I turn my attention to the problem of what to do with Skulker.

Daniel came close to the final death tonight. Far too close for comfort. I rather doubt that I shall be able to rest peacefully for quite some time with the images from that accursed lab dancing through my head. Ultimately, Skulker shares some of the blame with the Fentons for Daniel's condition. But the fact remains that he has always followed my orders where the boy is concerned in the past, even going as far as to ignore his obsession for my benefit. My decision made, I phase through the walls to confront my ally.

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**Fang: I only got two reviews last chapter, I know that the alerts didn't go out, but I PMed everyone that had this on their alert list. I was really dissapointed and discouraged by that. I know that the chapters aren't the longest on here, but this is my first attempt at posting anything and any future stories I write will have longer chapters. I intended this to be a oneshot originally and it was only by the request of reviewers that it got extended at all. I'm not going to hold chapters hostage for reviews, but they offer inspiration when I get stuck.**


	6. Admonishing

**Fang: Sorry for the late update, real life intrudes once again. *looks at Velya and laughs***

**Velya: It's not funny.**

**Fang: Yes it is you're purple. Now, do the disclaimer.**

**Velya: *Snarls under her breath***

**Fang: What now?**

**Velya: Shadowed Fang and her splinter personalities don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

My sudden appearance through the wall interrupts Skulker's nervous pacing. Even through my weariness my power is sufficient to make the shadows in the room flicker and dance eerily with dark intent. "Skulker." I greet flatly, intentionally ensuring that my voice carries no inflection.

"Plasmius." He returns the greeting just as flatly, his shoulders tensing and his posture stiffening as he examines my stance and energy.

"Tell me," I begin softly, tilting my head to the side slightly "what was the agreement that we made about Daniel?"

His stance remains tense as he answers. "We agreed that I could continue hunting him as long as I did not maim or kill him; if I ever managed to capture him, he was to be turned over to you."

"Your carelessness nearly got Daniel killed Skulker." Seeing that he was about to object I interrupt before he can say anything in his defense. "It is extremely fortunate for you that I require your services to ensure that the current situation does not get out of hand."

Skulker's stance loosens as we fall back into the patterns that were established when we began working together. "With all due respect, what are you planning?"

I bare my fangs in a parody of a grin and allow my aura to flare, fully aware of the unease that particular expression causes my employee. "For now, I only intend to deliver a message. Anything more will have to be very carefully arranged."

Skulker frowns at my less than forthwith reply, but he knows better than to press further at the moment. Satisfied that the specter is not going to challenge me, I stride over to a hidden phase-proof safe and allow it to take my ecto-signature before opening it. The safe contains several volatile and sensitive items, but the only ones I am currently interested in are the data stick and the explosives in their sleek casings.

Skulker's eyes light up in interest when he sees the items that I have withdrawn from the vault. It isn't a secret to anyone in the Ghost Zone that Skulker is perhaps overly fond of explosives of all types.

"There are three explosive devices here. I've modified each so that the radius, strength, and timing of the blast can be adjusted. They are extremely radioactive on the spectral scale so you will want to be well out of the area before they go off, though the radiation shall be fairly harmless to humans. The data stick contains an extremely virulent computer virus to wipe the Fenton's computer banks. I want all of the Fenton's data on hybrids gone. I don't care how much damage you have to cause, just destroy all of the samples and any data in their computers, I shall consider it a bonus if their lab and portal are destroyed in the process."

Skulker's face twists into a feral grin. "What of the rest of the Fentons? Should they get caught in the unfortunate blast as well?"

"No. I shall deal with them personally. I claim Blood Debt on Daniel's behalf. Once you return to the Ghost Zone make the Debt known to the others. I'm also going to issue a ban on harming Daniel. I want no mistakes Skulker. It would be in your best interest not to fail me in this."

Skulker's fists clench but he shakes his head. "You know that the order will never hold Plasmius. They would never go along with it long term.

"I realize this. Three months should more than suffice to get Daniel back on his feet; that shall be the time limit on the ban. Make it known however that once the ban ends he shall still be under my protection, that should limit the number of spirits willing to go after him."

Skulker comes forward to claim the items that he requires to fulfill his orders. The slightly insane light is back in his eyes as he puts the explosives in a compartment in his suit. "I shall do what I can to carry out your orders; I make no promises however on whether or not the whelp's other enemies will obey them as well."

"Simply make my commands clear, their actions shall be on their own heads."

As Skulker turns to go through the wall to access my portal I turn deadly serious and the shadows in the room once again dance and flicker as I allow my aura to flare. "Skulker, touch the boy again and I shall see to it that you cease to exist." I say it softly, but the threat in it is clear.

Skulker shudders but phases through the floor without a word. I have spent many years establishing myself in the Ghost Zone. He is fully aware that I can make good on my promise. It's only after he leaves that I allow the true extent of my weariness to show through. I unwillingly turn human and run my hands down my face. Now that those imbeciles the Fentons know that I am Plasmius they will undoubtedly come here in an attempt to reclaim Daniel.

It is unfortunate that Daniel would probably never forgive me if I killed his parents even after what they did to him. However, I am NOT going to let them take him back. Besides, death would be too good for Jack at this point. I know better than anyone that soul wounds strike deeper than any physical torture possibly could. They were kind enough to stab themselves for me; all I have to do is twist the knife a bit. My dark smile persists as I check on Daniel before heading to bed.

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**Fang: I'm still trying to figure out whether or not that was a cliffhanger, and whether or not it's a good or bad thing that I can understand Vlad so well. Does this mean I'm fruitloopy too? Anyway, I'm sorry that I can't tell you why Velya is temporarily purple, she threatened to kill the story if I told. Thank you to all of the people that reviewed. I can't tell you how much it means to me.**


	7. Regrouping

**Fang: Before anyone says anything I am very unhappy with this chapter, it ended up being mostly filler to get people to where they need to go. The next chapter will probably be up very soon and be longer than the previous chapters.**

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I'm sitting against the couch with my knees drawn up to my chest. I've been here since I got off the phone with Sam. She is at the door; the knowledge threatens the daze that I had managed to achieve after she hung up on me. Once again Sam bangs on the door. The impact makes the entire wall shake; I can feel the vibrations through the floor. I hear her snap at someone on the other side, probably Tucker before the door splinters on it's hinges. Why doesn't anyone ever just open the door normally? I notice all of this, but it my mind refuses to process anything, it just slides around and doesn't make any sense. The past half hour I had been hearing intermittent sounds from the lab, I don't know what they're doing down there and I don't care. Yes, you do, that annoying little voice in the back of my head insists… You're just afraid of what's going to happen next. I'm not afraid, I reply to that stubborn voice. I just don't know what comes next. And that's what you're afraid of, that little voice mockingly replies.

Sam stalking in followed by a nervous Tucker interrupts the conversation in my head. "What happened?" she demands, she asked the same question on the phone I realize distantly. Talking might disrupt whatever peace of mind I have left so I simply offer her the blood-splattered note that I had been holding since I found it on the kitchen table when I came home. She frowns at me and concern crosses her features. I know I'm a wreck; I've never handled stress well. Usually there's no need for me to, I'm a level-headed person by nature. I look down in shame but continue to hold out the note. After a moment's more hesitation she takes it. There's no need for me to read it again, I know better than anyone what it says. The words are burned into my memory.

_Sweety, we finally captured the ghost boy! We'll be in the lab while we take him apart. Don't try to come in; we'll have the lab locked down so he can't escape. I put dinner in the fridge if you're hungry when you come home. _

_Love, Mom and Dad._

Sam's expression darkens and she glares off into space after reading the note. Tucker was leaning over her shoulder and saw it as well. He merely shakes his head sadly. Then he seems confused for a moment before looking between me and the note. He sighs softly before kneeling down in front of me and taking a small bottle of disinfectant and some gauze out of the pocket of his cargo pants. He disinfects and wraps the wounds on my hands gently; as if afraid I might break. All of us have become very good with basic first-aid, Danny usually needed some kind of help when he came in from a fight.

A deep growl pulls my attention from nothing. I look up to find Sam's face contorted into a snarl. This is the second time tonight that I've seen that particular expression. The first time was when Vlad came down the stairs and kicked down the lab door… which was four inches of a phase-proof alloy. Tucker looks up, startled. Sam turns on her heel and strides towards the lab. Tucker's eyes widen and he scrambles up to get to entrance to the lab before she does.

"Don't do something you'll regret, Sam." Tucker's voice is calm and steady, too calm. He's way past rage, but unlike Sam he turns calculating during the rare times he becomes angry. "Out of my way Tucker." I can't see her face, but her voice is still layered with that deadly snarl, the one that promises pain to anyone who gets in her way. "Think before you do this," Tucker states with cold logic, "We don't know enough about the situation."

"Shut it Tucker, they are going to pay for what they did to him." I do my best to tune out the argument, but annoyance and then anger starts burning through the fog in my head. Their voices start rising, until I'm sure that the neighbors down the block are able to hear them. Finally, I snap. "ENOUGH!" They both turn to me, startled. They had obviously forgotten that I was even here. I glare at the both of them. "They're already suffering enough, they found out that it was really Danny the whole time when Vlad kicked down the lab door and took off with him through the portal, you might actually know this if you had actually asked about Danny rather than launching straight into an argument." They at least have the decency to look ashamed.

"We'll go to Vlad's in the morning; obviously no one is in the state to do anything tonight."

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**Fang: So? What did you think? This really wasn't my best work and I feel like Tucker and Jazz are OOC. Next chapter will be better, I promise.**


	8. Confronting

**Fang: Here it is, the chapter we've all been waiting for since the beginning. *insert drumroll here* I actually wrote this about a year ago and it's been sitting on my computer since... it just needed a story to go with it. Don't worry, I don't plan to abandon this story, there's still a fair bit to go. I tweaked a couple things to make it compatible with the story line, but it's unchanged for the most part.**

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In time little badger, in time. It was my parting thought after I proclaimed my defeat at the hands of 'Jack Fenton' at the reunion. My plans had gone awry, due to a single wildcard no one could have foreseen. New plans were suddenly made possible. Hopes, visions, and dreams spiraled in my head. Not only was there a beautiful wife, but a powerful and resourceful son was there to be taken. As skilled as I am in manipulation it was a nearly impossible task. Over time it was clear that a choice would have to be made. Maddie or Daniel. A nearly impossible choice, but it was mine. I watched the boy after I discovered his existence as a hybrid. It was very nearly physically painful. He made so very many of the mistakes I did in my early years. The problem with maintaining his tangibility alone could have been corrected in a matter of weeks under my tutelage, rather than months.

Due to his inherent stubbornness and unwillingness to join me I was forced to teach him the hard way. He would not accept the lessons I had to offer willingly, therefore, the lessons I taught were by their very nature brutal. His increasing fights with ghostly rivals kept his training in combat going apace, but he still lacked finesse. His bad habit of charging headlong into fights was going to be the death of him. The simple expedient of pummeling him every time I saw that particular mistake in our combats soon taught him cunning. Each time I fought him he grew faster, stronger, and more agile. His powers progressed faster than my own had. In truth, I was startled, in the span of two years; he learned to fight me to a standstill. It only made me more determined to obtain him for my own, a worthy heir, one that would inherit all of my wealth and prestige.

But I digress, even with all of his and mine hard work, progress, and sacrifice; one cannot remain eternally vigilant in the face of all one's enemies when surrounded on all sides. It was inevitable that a near-fatal mistake would be made. It is fortunate that I was there in time to prevent the worst. The truly tragic and ironic part of all this is that his demise would have been at the hands of those he loved most.

The memories of that night will haunt my nightmares for eternity.

It is strange how one event can alter one's perception of the world. At this time of day I should be in my weekly Monday morning meeting. My companies can survive without me for a time; my priorities seem to have been rearranged. The medical supplies drag at my steps as I exit my private lab and the ambient green light from my portal is abruptly cut off as I make my way to Daniel's room. I could cut a considerable amount of time off of the journey by simply phasing through the intervening walls and floor, but the time can be put to use with thought.

I should be happy; I am on the brink of achieving one of my goals. On the other hand, the Fentons now know my secret, as well as Daniel's. After that conflict and the violent resolution thereof, I have given up any chance I ever had of obtaining Maddie. All of this is for Daniel's sake. Was it worth it? The steady rhythm of my steps falters as I ponder the question. Yes, it was worth it. It was worth the sacrifice. My hate burns as brightly as it always has, perhaps brighter now that I can add Daniel's suffering as well as my own to the core of it. What I lost is as nothing beside what I have to gain.

Daniel is much slower in recovering his strength than is normal for our kind; both his ghost and human halves were badly damaged on THAT night. Had I brought him to a normal hospital rather than to my mansion he would have met the final death by now.

My musings are interrupted by my door being pounded upon. A duplicate quickly takes the medical supplies from me as I go to answer. Only two groups of people would dare to intrude in such a manner. Considering the fact that the Guys in White have no reason to bother me at the moment, it can only be what is left of the Fenton family. This will most likely require some creative blackmailing.

I choose my position carefully; the outcome of this is just as important as that of any battle that I have participated in. At the center of the grand staircase I stop and cross my arms. They won't stop at merely pounding on my door, and forcing them to come to me provides a slight advantage. Predictably, the door explodes inwards in a cloud of green smoke and fragments.

"You did realize that the door was unlocked, didn't you?"

Maddie glares at me as the smoke clears. "What have you done with our son, _Vlad._"

I pause for effect. Both of the elder Fentons are here as well as Daniel's one of his friends and sister. _"Your_ son Maddie? The boy that I took from your residence yesterday after you _vivisected _him?" My eyes widen in false innocence and I slap a scandalized hand to my chest. My eyes narrow as I see her and Jack stiffen at the verbal jab. Daniel's friends look flabbergasted. Maddie's face falls in shame as she pleads. "Please Vlad, he's our son. Let us see him." The utter sorrow in her face creates a hollow feeling in my chest, but that void quickly fills with rage. "I'm not going to let you anywhere near him after what you did! You nearly killed him for being what he is! For being what you created with your own carelessness!" Twenty three years' worth of rage. Twenty three years' worth of loneliness; it comes down to this, and I find myself more enraged over what they did to Daniel. Go figure.

"We didn't know who he was! We thought…"

"You didn't think! All you saw was another ghost. You didn't CARE enough to figure out that ghosts are rational and intelligent beings in their own right. You didn't notice that your son was Danny Phantom, you didn't care that he was stopping the vast majority of ghost attacks on that pathetic little town. It is only now that you are paying the price, that you stop and take notice of these things."

Maddie burst into tears. That hollow feeling was back, and not even the sight of Jack wrapping his arms around her with tears running down his face managed to wake either rage or satisfaction. I watch silently for a moment. The emotions trying to overwhelm me are pushed aside, I have the advantage, and if it isn't used I could very well lose my chance.

Only now does Jack speak up "How did it come to this Vladdie? How could it happen?"

Cold echoing laughter resounds around the hall, even to me it sounds incredibly bitter. "What are you referring to? Our powers? Or your son's mutilation by your hands?"

His temper finally snaps. "All of it, you freak!" His ectogun snaps towards me as he says it. Really? What good is that toy going to do him?

I tilt my head to the side as an amused grin flits across my face. "Freak am I?… A freak you created my _dear friend_." The grin mutates into something resembling a predator's snarl more than any true smile, fangs and all. "A freak just like your son." A flicker of satisfaction comes from the look of abject horror and shame in his eyes at that statement. "My powers came from that _little_ accident in college all those years ago. As for Daniel's, well, IF he ever trusts you again I'm certain he'll tell you."

Maddie's quietly pleading voice cuts the argument short. "Is he going to be alright?"

I lower my voice further. "I got him stabilized, had I brought him to a hospital rather than here he would be dead by now. Due to the damage that you and Jack caused he is healing at a rate that is much slower than normal for us, but yes, he will live."

"May we see him?"

"No, but if it will put your mind at ease… Jasmine, Samantha, YOU may go see him."

A quick mental check of my duplicate reveals that the boy is awake, if only just. Jasmine pauses as she passes me. "I know what you are doing Vlad, and I don't appreciate it." Her voice is low enough that Samantha, who had paused as well a few feet away, was unable to hear.

"My dear girl, you know as much about how the human mind works as I. You know that forcing him to come home under the circumstances would be disastrous for all involved." A cold glare is the only response I receive. Ah, clever girl, just like her mother. "Straight down the hall, two lefts and a right, third door down." I will have to move Daniel to a new room later.

She motioned for Samantha to follow her and went in the direction I had indicated. I return my gaze to where the Fentons are standing. Maddie still has her head tucked under Jack's chin. Reasonably certain that I would not be attacked in a small moment of distraction, I turn my attention to my duplicate and watch through it's eyes at the scene unfolding in Daniel's room. As the door opens I will the duplicate to become invisible, it wouldn't do to let them know they have an observer.

"Danny?" Samantha calls out. She enters first with Jasmine right behind her. The thick carpet muffles the sound of her combat boots as she hurries towards Daniel in the dimly lit room.

"Sam? Jazz?"

"We're here, little brother." Jasmine brushes some of Daniel's hair back from his face. He's still far too pale from ectoplasm and blood loss, seemingly a wraith in truth rather than a hybrid.

Clouded blue eyes slowly focus. "I thought you were still in Amity."

"No, Danny, we came to see you." Comes his sister's soft reply. "How are you feeling?"

"Right now? Not much of an'thing. Weird glowie stuff makes the pain go 'way. Tired."

His eyes begin to drift closed and the two girls look at each other. I direct the duplicate out of the room and to the other side of the door. Turning it to a human appearance in a flash of black rings I knock on the door frame and push it open. "He needs his rest." I say softly. They look up at me with expressions devoid of their normal resentment. Samantha lays her hand softly on Daniel's shoulder before nodding at Jasmine. They both get up and begin walking out the door.

"Jazz…" Daniel's soft voice interrupts them mid-stride. "I don't want to go back."

"I… understand, little brother." From where I stand in the doorway I can see the tears that have begun running down her face at that statement. They continue past me, out the door, and into the hall.

"Jasmine, may I have a moment of your time?" She freezes for a split second before relaxing again. Jasmine shares another long glance with the other girl before I see Samantha nod slightly and continue down the hall to where the Fentons and Daniel's other friend are still waiting. She turns towards me with her arms crossed, waiting.

"Even if he goes back with them willingly, it will never be the same. Every time he sees them it will be overshadowed by what they did to him." I let the sorrow I feel color my voice, enemy or not, no one deserves what Maddie and Jack did to Daniel.

"I know," was the only response I received. She looks uncertain, as if struggling with a decision. It isn't Jack, Maddie, or even Samantha that I have to sway to my view of things. Right now Jasmine is the most important piece to my plans. She can sway the others to do almost anything. Her skill at manipulation, despite her young age, very nearly matches my own. "I can give him the world Jasmine, even if that is not what he wants I can ensure that he has a future unmarred by the kind of hardship that is certain if he continues to refuse my help. Think about it, hmmm? In the meantime…" I gestured for her to precede me. As soon as she turned away I let the duplicate vanish. Samantha had already reached the grand staircase where I was still standing silently.

"Thank you." The quiet statement startles me, and I look at her quizzically. "Thank you for saving his life."

"You are welcome." I look away from her and back towards the Fentons. "Contrary to what you or THEY might believe, I do indeed care for Daniel." Her look of disbelief is amusing in it's own right. "What? You don't think I would jeopardize my secret for just anyone do you?"

Jasmine's reappearance from the hall cuts our conversation short. She proceeds silently down the steps with Samantha close beside her. It's interesting to watch the silent communication between them. No matter, they will come to the conclusion that I want them to, but for now…

"Jack," he looks up at me with distrust and wariness, "you do realize that if you betray my identity, Daniel's will be compromised as well. What you did to him would be nothing compared to what the Guys in White would if they knew."

His face twists in a snarl. Ah, how gratuitous to see my hatred returned full force. "You would reveal his identity if yours was? You would put him in that kind of danger just to get back at us?"

"Of course not! If they realized that our existence was even possible they would figure it out on their own. Our signatures are unique, once they figured out the connection it would only be a matter of time. In the end it wouldn't matter if I told them or not, the result would be the same. The GiW hunters may be incompetent idiots, but the scientists employed by the division aren't."

The last of what I had hoped to accomplish is set into motion. All I can do now is hope that everything goes according to plan. With Daniel's life hanging in the balance they will not dare to compromise my identity. Any future plans concerning Amity Park will now have to be handled very carefully now that they know to watch for my interference. In the end it won't matter what they do, I will not relinquish Daniel, especially now. The perfect son. My hate flares, showing itself in my eyes.

"You've overstayed your welcome, leave. Now."

Both Jack and Maddie begin to object, only to be interrupted by a quiet statement from Jasmine. She still doesn't trust me, but this is indeed a step forward.

Maddie looks at me for the first time since I had sent Jasmine and Samantha to see Daniel. "Very well Vlad, we will do as you ask for now, but you can't keep us from him forever."

"That, my dear, will depend entirely on Daniel. IF he wishes to see you I shall call. But in the meantime…" I indicate the gaping hole where my front door formerly stood again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Daniel is due for his next dose of antibiotics."

In the end, they have no choice. I have them in a corner with only one way out, my way. Jack no longer trusts me, and Maddie never did. It's a shame really; that this is what it took to get me to admit that. Daniel's friends understand that I now hold his life in my hands. Jasmine looks up at me with a face as impassive as my own. Her eyes hold challenge while her parent's eyes hold only despair. She will try to mend the family her parents fractured with their carelessness. Never. He is mine now girl. Her eyes narrow, she can see the challenge in my eyes as easily as I can see it in hers. She says something quietly to her parents, even with my enhanced hearing I am too far away to understand. They seem reluctant, but they leave anyway.

Jasmine and Samantha remain. Jasmine looks up at me with a serious expression while Samantha stands quietly behind her, observing everything. "Why?" The simple question is not what I was expecting; I simply raise an eyebrow, certain that I would get an elaboration. "Why are you doing this? Why did you help him?" I look out into the distance, considering. At this point the truth would serve better than any lie. "I saved him because I could not do otherwise. Had he died I would have been alone once again. I came to admire his strength of will and talent. I pushed him so hard in the past so he would improve. Why you ask? Why not? I had nothing to gain by his death, and everything to lose. Does that answer your question?" I turn my head back to look at her, allowing her to see the truth and scincerity in my words.

Jasmine seems to be about to say something when Samantha lays her hand gently on her shoulder. Jasmine looks back at Samantha to see her shake her head. Jasmine frowns but remains silent. She looks up at me once again and nods silently before leaving as she came with Samantha behind her. A short while later I hear the engine of the Fenton's vehicle start up as they leave, bringing this visit to it's end.

So… the battle lines have been drawn, the challenge issued and accepted, and the current conflict declared a draw. As far as I am concerned this ended on a better note than I expected. It is unlikely that my identity is still in danger, and I was not forced to resort to violence to get them to leave. Further bloodshed would not suit anyone's purpose at this point in time.

Check, your move.

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**Velya: I think it could use some more editing...**

**Fang: Oh hush, you're just upset that I wrote it without your help. Reveiw please, after all, this is the chapter that inspired the direction of the story.**


	9. Wandering

**Fang: I ended up randomly deleting this chapter either on purpose or accident... luckily for you, dear readers, I keep multiple backups of the complete version of my story on separate computers. **

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Tight metal cuffs bind me at the wrists and ankles, making it impossible to move. Ambient green light from an open ghost portal illuminates the tile ceiling above me. I attempt to yank my hands out of the cuffs, letting out a sharp hiss when they cut into my flesh. The cold sickly sweet smells of ectoplasm, fudge, and just a trace of blood permeate the air.

Daniel lies on the table opposite mine, slowly bleeding out through multiple vivisection wounds. My table is tilted up and shadows with gleaming red eyes cut me apart in a pool of icy white light, the cold shock of the blade running through my core.

I awaken to the sound of silence, of my heart pounding frantically in my chest and nothing else. Frantically I run my hands across my chest, where they cut into me in my dream. Lucky ghosts, who have no need of sleep, as a half ghost, a being made up of mental and emotional energy dreams can actually hurt. A phantom pain throbs dully in my wrists and chest. A nightmare, only a nightmare. I slump back against the pillows and take a glance at the clock. It's three in the morning, no one in their right mind but Daniel would be up at this hour.

With a groan I heave myself up out of my comfortable bed, there's no point in even attempting to get back to sleep after that. The drapes are drawn apart, letting the light of the moon shine through and into the room. Moving shapes flicker at the edges of my vision, and I am unsteady on my feet as I get off of the bed to stand before the window. I hold to the window ledge, trying to fight off my vertigo. This is the first time that I've been to bed in the last three days, and I had no more than two hours of sleep. If it wasn't nightmares it was worry over Daniel. Though my hybrid status reduces my need for sleep, it does not eliminate it entirely. How Daniel was ever able to adapt to his hectic schedule I shall never know.

I sigh in irritation; ever since he arrived here all of my thoughts have revolved around my little badger. Though I have a legitimate reason to worry, running myself into the ground isn't going to help either of us. The room steadies around me as nervous energy and the lingering bite of worry dispels any trace of drowsiness. I shift into my ghost form, and the bone-deep weariness recedes further to give way to the comforting hum of energy just beneath my skin and in my core.

I turn from the window and phase through the wall. I begin wandering aimlessly through the halls of the castle, with no particular destination in mind. As I have been in the recent days, I am drawn irresistibly to Daniel's room. The halls of the mansion are silent and still as I drift through them. It's nothing short of tragic that being vivisected is what it took for Daniel to join me here. Even now I'm not sure whether to be ecstatic, enraged, or depressed over the circumstances. It's odd to say the least.

Like the halls of the mansion Daniel's room is also still and silent. He has been feverish and delirious in turns, though he appears to be sleeping somewhat peacefully for the moment. Asides from the short period in which Samantha and Jasmine visited him, he has only awoken once, and even then he was not particularly coherent. I sweep aside the hangings on the bed and turn the gauze wrapping around his torso intangible before removing it. In the past two weeks since the vivisection the wounds have healed, giving way to deep scarring that will most likely take months to fade. A human would be cursed with the scarring for the rest of their natural life span, but our unique biology eventually breaks them down to make way for healthy tissue. I suspect that if it were otherwise, there wouldn't be any part of him that would be unmarked.

I check the nutrient and ectoplasm enhanced bag of saline at his bedside and disconnect him from it, now that the healing process has been mostly completed he should awaken soon. I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading the occurrence.

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**Fang: Ended up being filler for some odd reason… sorry about that, couldn't be helped. *looks off to the side* Now that is incredibly unfair! Why does she get to sleep when I can't? *fanged grin* I'm probably going to regret this. *runs off to get ice water***


	10. Mourning

**Fang: I'm sorry it's taking so long, I'm fighting writer's block. *runs away and hides***

**Velya: Please tell me if you see my writer, I've got to get her back for waking me so rudely. Since she seems incapable of doing it, I'll do the disclaimer... ShadowedFang and her splinter personalities do not own Danny Phantom or affiliated characters.**

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**_Maddie_**

Guilt. It claws at my chest relentlessly. My own son, gone, hurt, and at mine and Jack's hands no less. Two years it's been going on, according to his friends. My own daughter won't even look at me, much less talk to me. I slouch against the table to lower my chin to my crossed arms and stare sadly at the letter that we found when we returned from Wisconsin. Written in a fluid calligraphy on elegant stationary, it's obvious who it's from even though there was no name on it. The message is deceptively simple, though cryptic. The meaning is clear yet ambiguous at the same time.

_Price was demanded, and Price was paid, for Daniel's sake I consider us even… for now._

When we came home the house was filled with smoke and the lab was completely destroyed, with only a dark hole and wreckage where the portal once resided. What remained of the computer banks were painstakingly wiped clean and filled with a virulent virus that foiled any attempts to retrieve the backup information. All of our work, the inventions, the portal, and all of our data are gone. And yet, the pain of losing my work cannot compare to the pain of losing my son.

My daughter comes down the stairs and leans against the doorway, watching me with a faraway and calculating look in her eyes. In losing my son I have also lost my daughter. She turns away and goes out the front door without a word, making another slice of pain go through my chest. She's simply gone cold towards us, and nothing I say or do will fix it. My husband is down in the lab amongst the shattered wreckage of our career, brooding in his own way.

The house is so silent now; usually it's filled with the chatter of Danny and his friends, as well as random explosions from the lab or kitchen. Why did things go so wrong? Why did Jack and I not stop and consider the facts rather than going with our assumptions? We were so eager to be proved right and develop new theories that we lost sight of what was important.

High-pitched maniacal laughter and explosions erupted outside. I tried, but I couldn't muster up enough will or enthusiasm to move. The laughter ended in a high shriek, as the distinctive sound of a ghost thermos firing up indicated the end of a fight. Depression's dark shroud around me muffles whatever semblance of care I might still be capable of. Amity doesn't really need us; there are other, more competent hunters.

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**_Jazz_**

I finish helping Sam bring down yet another ghost with Tucker running tracking and technical support. The well oiled team, while missing a vital member, still works as it always did. An unspoken agreement with the Red Huntress helps a great deal. We occasionally cross paths in fighting the invasion of ghosts and provide mutual support to each other. My muscles burn and a bone-deep weariness pervades my body. Regardless, I follow Tucker's directions to the next disturbance and the process begins again.

Yet… a fierce and protective happiness burns through me despite the situation. Danny is alive, and is going to be alright. I don't trust Vlad for good reasons, but he wasn't lying about wanting what is best for my brother. That man is manipulative, vindictive, and entirely obsessive, but he was telling the truth. I'm still not certain that staying with Vlad is what is best for Danny, but at this point it's a better option than staying with our parents.

I thought at first that the situation could be salvaged, that perhaps I could pull together the shattered remnants of the family… That hope has been lost now. This situation has brought home all of the doubts that I ever felt about my parent's obsessions. Regardless of who it is, performing a vivisection on anything, animal, ghost, or human is wrong. I have a sinking suspicion that if it weren't Danny that they had under their knife, they wouldn't even regret it.

The snarling of a ghost tiger forcibly brings my mind back into the present, and I throw myself into battle with an equally savage expression of rage, confident in my own abilities and gothic girl beside me.

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_**Sam**_

In the past three years, Danny, Tuck, and I have been inseparable. Now, in the midst of pitched battle with yet another ghost, I feel that loss more keenly than ever. It's not just the comforting presence of his power against the hostility of our opponents. It's not just the humor he brings into the most dangerous of situations. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it left a hole behind it.

A clawed paw swipes through the space I had just occupied, and I take advantage when Jazz blasts the ghost. With a flash of blue-white light another ghost gets sucked into the thermos. It's odd. We've been seeing more than the usual number of animal ghosts, but the normal rogue's gallery has been absent for some reason.

Perhaps Vlad has something to do with it, usually when something more odd than normal happens he's at the center of it. While he's a manipulative fruitloop, he has Danny's best interests at heart for the moment. I swear though, if he hurts Danny, what the Fentons did to him will look tame.

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_**Tucker**_

I sigh as I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes. We've been at it for about three hours now. I shouldn't be cooped up here in my room. I should be out there with the rest of the team, running around and pretending to be a lot more winded than I really am to get Sam and Danny to laugh at me. I put my hands back on the keyboard. My parents would flip if they knew just how much equipment I have up here, about three quarters of it I built myself from salvaged materials.

Skulker has paid several times over for my stolen PDA, may she rest in peace. The sensor arrays and electronics from his many destroyed suits make it possible for me to get energy readings from all across Amity Park and a significant way beyond. The rest of the parts for my custom equipment has come from the various electronics that I've broken and subsequently pulled apart over the years. After one more scan I activate my speaker and send my teammates the good news that it was clear for now. I know better than anyone that the situation won't last, but we won't be able to do much more without rest. The thought causes me to sigh deeply; Danny often went without rest to make sure that everyone was safe. As annoyed and jealous as I often was with him, I always appreciated that fact. I think he inspired all of us to work harder, and generally to be better people. Most of the time he was oblivious to the fact, but there it is anyway.

The last three years have been tough, and the most recent events have been a tragedy, but I know if anyone can survive and thrive despite the circumstances, it's Danny.

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**Velya: Please reveiw, your comments help me greatly.**


	11. Waking

**Fang: Here it is, my dear readers, after months of waiting. If you didn't like it so much it probably would have lain down and died a quiet death… The next chapter is mostly written and merely needs to be tweaked. I would have liked to make it longer, but Velya told me not to.**

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Vlad

There are moments in life that nothing can prepare you for. The accident that ruined my life and gave me ghost powers was one of them. Meeting another of my kind after twenty years of _knowing_ that I was alone and unique in the twin realms was another. But this… surpasses both of those.

Blue eyes stare at me unreadably from behind a dark fringe of hair, shadowed, haunted… but _aware._ After two hellish weeks of delirium he was standing again. Stiffly perhaps, with echoes of pain in each movement but still, it was almost more than I could have hoped for, considering what had happened. I winced at the memory of harsh florescent lighting and silver tile coated with his life's blood.

A tentative smile came to my face as I looked down on him. It was oddly warm, matching the feeling growing in my chest… the feeling that had somehow found root there while caring for the boy after his own parents had ripped him apart. It felt strange, after so many years of nothing but hatred and contempt. That warm glowing orb was shadowed though. A cold coil of fear snaked it's way around my stomach and threatened to swallow that ever so fragile care.

This was the first time the boy had been truly _aware_ since I had brought him here and I was not at all sure that he would remember what had happened… or anything at all really. I waited with bated breath… torn between going forward and taking the broken boy before me into my arms and retreating. Hoping beyond hope for some small measure of the warmth that had grown for the boy to be returned, waiting for his eyes to turn feral and dangerous and his harsh wit to shatter what little fragile hope I had to pieces.

His balance wavered, and I started to move forward to help him, only to abort the movement when he steadied himself against the side of the bed before he could truly begin to fall. I'm sure he could see my concern plainly as he stood there, looking at me. That too, was strange. I had made it a habit to always hide my true emotions. His head tilted consideringly before he offered up a tentative smile, a pale echo to his typical confident smirk. It was as fragile and broken as my own had been, but it made that small orb in my chest burst, the warmth strengthening until it had burned away the fear.

"You should still be resting, little badger."

That half-grin of his widened just a fraction, a hint of true amusement showing through the weariness.

"I never could stay down for long… fruitloop."

I shook my head. For the first time that had actually sounded like a term of endearment rather than an insult. Some part of me was distantly annoyed that even though everything had changed I was still stuck with it, but the rest of me was simply to happy to care.

"No… I suppose you never could."

My gaze wandered down to the tangled and slightly singed tubing of the I.V. stand. A burst bag of saline allowed its contents to soak into the carpet. It looked like the stand had been kicked over and then hit with a very weak ectoblast. Daniel's eyes followed mine and distaste crossed his features. Sorrow passed through me in a wave. He would most likely have a hatred of hospitals and labs to rival mine after… what happened. I pushed it away. He would not want my pity. Stubborn, prideful creatures that we are, it is not something that either of us want or tolerate.

"It's been a while since you've actually eaten something, I can have something brought up if you would like…"

He pushed away from the bed, and though his balance wavered he stubbornly locked his knees and refused to fall. That set to his jaw and light in his eyes were beyond familiar to me. It was the same look that I had seen countless times during our many fights. An indefinable sense of relief along with amusement and additional worry joined the confused tangle in the back of my mind. Though my boy was most definitely wounded he was still unbroken. Despite it all, he's still Daniel.

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**Fang: Yes, stubborn prideful creatures indeed.**

**Velya: Remind you of anyone Fang?**

**Fang: I've no clue what you could possibly be implying.**


	12. Repudiating

**Velya: Hehehehe.**

**Fang: Um… are you alright?**

**Velya: Haaahahaahhaaahaahahahaaahaa ...hahaahaaahaaha! *falls down and continues to laugh hysterically***

**Fang: *Is disturbed* I don't think I even want to know. Be afraid, dear readers, be very afraid. Ah! Disclaimer… ShadowedFang and her splinter personalities do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Maddie

Muffled thumps from Jazz's room above me push back the grey haze that I've been living in for the past two weeks. My daughter had come home for the first time in several days, but she hadn't even looked at Jack or I once. Speaking of Jack, I would need to drag him from the lab in ordered to eat… he had been down there for days now. Personally I don't even want to set foot down there, but I can't let him starve himself to death.

The food bubbled cheerily, completely at odds with my current mood. There would be no point in even attempting to dislodge Jack until the food was done, but Jazz might not be staying for very long and I have to talk to her. I put down the spoon that I had been using to stir the chili, for once untainted by ectoplasm. I had personally thrown out all ectoplasm samples ever since… it had happened. Briefly I contemplated whether or not I was brave enough to try to talk to her, she was finally home, trying to talk to her might make her mad enough to leave again… If I didn't try, I never would be able to again.

I hesitate at the top of the stairs, before finally taking those last five steps to the door. Dread slows my movements as I tap twice on my daughter's bedroom door twice before opening it.

"_Maddie."_ She greets me frostily, that one word cutting deeper than any physical injury I have ever sustained. Her eyes are hard, gleaming with cold hatred and her lips draw back ever so briefly in a feral flash of teeth, an ancient show of aggression. Stay away from me, her entire posture screams. Her hands curl into fists by her sides. "What do you want?"

The entire room is in organized chaos, centered around a half full blue duffel bag on the bed. Realization burns through me. "No." It was faint and full of pain, barely even a sound at all, merely an echo of dying hope. Her head tilts to the side for a long moment, the motion so very _Danny _that I flinch backwards. Cold steel eyes regard me, savage satisfaction flickering in their depths at my reaction. "Don't do this… You can't leave me."

"Whyever not?" All emotion leaves her face, her voice free of all inflection. A cold and distant stranger stands in my daughters place. I could not even blame ghosts for the changes this time. Another wave of pain goes through me. Not my daughter, my best friend, my confidante, not now. I stare at her brokenly. I attempt to speak, but the words catch in my throat, the protests and the pleas dying unspoken. "You aren't yet eighteen ."

She turns her back on me, the action somehow final and resounding. "The paperwork for my emancipation went through far faster than I had expected, there isn't anything that you can do about it. I have both a job and a place to stay." Items slowly find their way into the bag, though many of the things that she once treasured remain. Bearbert, which Jack and I had given her for her fourth birthday lies discarded by the foot of the bed. A picture of all of us as a family lies face down on the nightstand, though I see the glass and wood frame of a picture of her and Danny gleaming softly in the lamplight from within the depths of the bag. Numerous other items that Jack or I had gotten her seemed to be lying in pieces or merely forgotten.

"Where?"

She finishes putting the stacks of clothing lying on the bed into the duffel and zips it before she turns to me, those terribly cold eyes mocking. "If I wanted you to know I would not be moving out." The strap of that bag is over her shoulder and she steps around me without truly looking at me. I reach out, to stop her, to try to explain. Her burning icy glare causes me to flinch, my hand dropping numbly back down to my side. She walks out through the door of what had once been her bedroom.

"I didn't know!" I cried out desperately, willing to do almost anything to keep her from leaving because I knew, in my heart of hearts that if she walks away now… She would never come back.

She stops in the doorway, unmoving… not even looking at me, that cut as much as anything else did. "You say that as if it absolves you of responsibility. Even if it had not been my brother, not been your son under your accursed scalpel it would still be wrong. There was always a reason that I railed against your obsession with catching a ghost and destroying it, even before Danny became one. He saved this city countless times, saved the world at least thrice… and you still set aside all pretense of human compassion and morals for scientific curiosity, or perhaps simply for xenophobic sadism. I will not associate with such creatures." The sound of the front door slamming shut was as that of a tomb. Shattered wood ground together causing the entire frame to groan and abused hinges shrieked like a tortured soul.

She was gone. She was gone and she would never look back. All ties to us, to her former life have been broken. The hardwood floor is harsh against my knees and I subconsciously press a hand to my chest… searching for the wound. There is no warm wetness against my fingers, but somehow my nose is filled with the scent of blood and ectoplasm as the wracking sobs do their best to tear my fragile frame apart. Icy white light and my own wondering murmurs as I cut my son to pieces flit through my mind. Vibrant viridian green ectoplasm and abyss black ebony is replaced by crimson blood and ivory bone in my head. The room spins and I twist violently to get rid of the accusation, the knowledge that I had destroyed everything that I loved. Piercing, echoing spectral shrieks devolve into disturbingly human screams as I kneel there on the cold tile, soaked in the evidence of my own culpability. The memory of screams echoes through me as I flee into silence, perhaps never to return… Anything to stop this _pain._

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**Fang: The disturbing thing is that this chapter was written at the exact same time as the last one, quite literally. On another note, I have come to the conclusion that I need a beta reader. Not in the sense that I need proof reading… but I need someone to read my work and bounce ideas off of for the creative process. I run Nebulous Mistress down occasionally for help, but I need a true volunteer.**


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